Distractions, reflections

David Ing, at large … Sometimes, my mind wanders

2006/12/01 Unexpected stay in New England

I’ve been in New Hampshire this week, on a consulting gig. I decided to wear one of my winter parkas on this trip, because I’ve been getting tired of dressing in layers. (In Finland, since the homes are warm, I never wear sweaters indoors!) With the unseasonably warm temperatures this week — into the 60’s — my coworker have been giving me a gentle ribbing about the coat at every opportunity.

With a client meeting finishing around 3 p.m., the choices to get home were: (a) drive down to Boston Logan airport in Friday afternoon traffic; or (b) fly out of Manchester NH on an 18-seat plane. I chose the latter (which was $100 cheaper, anyways).

So, for a leisurely 7:30 p.m. flight home, I drove the long way around to see what Manchester is like. Not much to see, since the sun sets at 4:10 p.m. this far east, and it’s been raining. I dropped off the rental car at the airport, checked in my luggage, went through the security check, and decided to order a sandwich at the bar. Just as the waitress delivered it … there was an announcement that the flight to Toronto had been cancelled. Heavy rains.

I walked back to the check-in area, where the check-in clerk still had my luggage. I guess that she was sufficiently pessimistic that she didn’t send it down on the conveyor belt!

I phoned for a hotel reservation and rebooked my flight. As I was packing up for the shuttle van, I noticed that security was closing up the gate with its caging. I had heard that the Manchester airport closes at 8:00 p.m., so this must have been an early night!

Anyway, it’s another night in another hotel, and — despite the chastisement of my coworkers — I’m comfortable and well-prepared. I’ve ceased to be stressed out about these things, so it’s time to catch up on e-mail. I’ll have a 10:15 a.m. flight home tomorrow.

P.S. Sorry, no pics for this posting. Nothing to shoot in the rain!

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